Freight-car



(No Model.)

- E. E. PRATT.

FREIGHT CAR.

1%. 503,874. Patented Aug. 22, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS E. PRATT, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

FREIG HT-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,874, dated August 22, 1893.

Application filed May is, 1893. Serial No. 474,117. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LELIAS E. PRATT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Freight- Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway cars and particularly to freight cars, the object being to provide for the ready removal of the contents of the car by hinging or pivoting the sides thereof soas to adapt them to be raised or lowered as circumstances may require.

My invention consists in a railway car having the sides thereof preferably made in sections, each section consisting of an upper and lower part, and in so hinging or pivoting these parts as to enable the upper part to be easily swung down to reduce the height of the sides or to raise the lower part and thus form an opening between the upper part and the bottom of the car.

My invention also consists in the details of construction and in the devices used in carrying out the invention all of which I will more particularly refer to hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1, is a side elevation of the car showing one section with the sides in normal position; another sectionwith the upper part lowered and a third section with the lower part raised. Fig. 2, is a detail view showing one form of post and the two forms of latches. Fig. 3, represents a modified form of post, and Fig. 4., is a detail of the same. Fig. 5 represents the opposite end of the upper door from that shown in Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented an ordinary form of freight car to which my invention has been applied. It is of ordinary construction except in the respects indicated which relate to my invention.

In order to add to the strength of the structure I prefer to make the pivoted sections of a length which will enable them to be easily handled and at the same time provide for the use of a number of posts which will take up the strain upon the sides of the car and prevent undue pressure and the bulging of the sections. The sections may be of greater or less length than shown, but I prefer the general dimensions illustrated. The posts may be made of wood shod with metal so as to take up the wear as shown in Fig. 2, the post being firmly seated and secured tothe car sills or as in Fig. 3 the post maybe made of metal and securely seated in the car timbers so as to withstand the strain from the load.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that a series of posts are provided extending along the sides of the car and between these posts are sections composed of upper and lower hinged doors A, B, the ends of which abut against each other and bear against the outer face of the posts. These doors are preferably composed of plank and are shod upon their ends by a casting, as shown in Fig. 2, recessed at 00 upon one side to receive the ends of the plank and secured in place by means of bolts passing through cars a, in the casting C. These castings are preferably provided for the upper doors only, but the ends of the lower doors may be shod if found necessary or desirable. At the lower end of the shoes or casting C an eye or hearing is formed as at b and this encircles or is fitted to a rod d extending the length of the car and serv-- ing as a hinge upon which the doors pivot.

The lower door is likewise hinged to the same rod by means of an eye or bearing e formed at the end of a strap f securely bolted to the lower door and having its end projecting below the lower ends of the door, as shown in Fig. 2, and for a purpose hereinafter described. It is desirable to have the sections capable of being manipulated at will so as to gain access to the upper part of the load or to the lower part as may be desired and it is for this purpose that the two parts of the section are made capable of movement, the upper part to swing downwardly and the lower part to swing upwardly. I provide simple forms of catches for bold ing the parts in their adjusted positions and these holding means I will now briefly describe.

The shoe C has one of its edges cut away to form an angular recess y for a part of its length and an opening is formed through the shoe from its upper end throughto the recess and in this opening is fitted the shank g of a latch. The shank is longer than the opening through which it passes and projects into the recess below; In order to prevent the displacement of the catch I screw a bolt'i-nto its lower end, as shown at h, and this serves to limit the movement and prevent the catch from becoming displaced when the upper part of the section is lowered. The; recess in the;- corner of the shoe exposes the shank of the catch so that access can be had to it to unlatch it when it is desired to lower the'upper door. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of the post is inclined and the metal covering extends over'the inclinededge'projectin-g np wardly to form a flange iand overthis'flenge the hook it of the latch catches holdinglthe door securely in place. In order to maketho. latching automatic the face. of the hook is noundedso th atit rises easily over the rounded edgeof the flange on the postanddropsdown to engage the. hook therewith. In order to clearly in Fig.2. Thiscatch hasal'soa curved taco which permits itv tov rise easily over the edgeof the stapleuntil it comes in full en.-

7 gagement therewith and thusthe dooris locked inv its lowered position.

The lower door is locked in its lower posito receive the. projecting end of the strap r hinge of the. side. or door. This castihgfhafi flanges 3. projecting inwardly and in therecessesformedi by the flanges, the wedge piece:

n is fiittedwhich bears against, the free end i of. strap. piece and prevents, movement of. the

lower. dooruntil the said piece. is removedj This wedge piece, is secured by a short. sect-ion of chain 150a staple driven in. the sillofj the car-,1 and thus is always at hand.

In. order to hold the lower door. in raised Q position I'provide a second, latch at the opposite. end f the upper door frame from that where the. first: latch is. located as in.Fig, 5 and this second latch hasa hook atfro t and near as. shown. ats and t, the hook s engaging hoedge of thepostto hold. the upper door in place While the hook 15 receives. thejedge of 'the lower door when swung up-again5l1 thev upper door. As the hookt' when the upper door isliowered' extends below the lower edge of the lower 'door l make a recesst" in the flooring and post as in Fig. 3, to receive the. hook t and thus allow the upper door to rest snugly againstthelower so. that its book. at

the opposite end will engage the staple Jon I The second latch isalnado I f witha shorter shank or is permittedle'ssmovethe sill of the car.

gmentand hence doesnotreach tothe position "of-the first latch.

of the car,the foot being also firmly bolted and anchored by means of a T-rail D which passes through the foot of the post and enters 'th-eadjacent beams. The post is of malleable iron preferably and to prevent the wear of the upper part I provide a steel catch plate d as shown, which receives the hooked end of. the

.::catch. In this forrnofpost. 1" provide a part fof the bearing of the hinged rod on the post as shown. atr, Fig-.3

J I claim-- E 1.. A railway car having movablesides, said.

ZsideS. being composed of'a series of pivoted sections andeach section comprising two parts with their inner hinged edges ahuttingsubstantially as descriloed.v

2... A railway car having movable sides, said sides being made npof aseries. of sections, a lhingerod extending centrally the length of thecar said. sections comprising upper and lower parts having their inner edgesabntting I and hinges connecting them with. thosaid rod, tion by means of arecessedlcasting or block, 91 secured to the sill of the car and adapted lsnbstantially as described.

Incombination with a. car, a sectioncomgpri'sing two parts, the, upper part being. mov- ;a.ble, and a catch carried by'the. upper part i and adaptedto lock thesanie in its-raised. or lowened position,v substantially as. described.

4. In combination with a railway car, a section comprising two partabothof which are Qmovahle and catches adapted to lockthe uper pnrtin its raised or lowered position and to lock. the lower part in. its raised; position, substantially as described. 5.. In combination. ifn-a railway can movable lsi'dies comprising. upper and. lower parts and locking. means for. the. lower. part consistin .of a projection thereomengaging a. recessed casting andjawedge. piece for confining the same, substantially as. described...

6i. In combination with the movable sides f a. car, a castingo shoe. f or the end thereof I and seen red-thereto, having a recessed corner and a latch fitted to an openingthereinand permitted a. limited movement,substantially as described. 7

5 In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in p Z presence of two, witnesses...

ELIAS. E; PRATT.

Witnesses:

H. W Lnrron,

N. W. MEBWIN.

;upper edge of one of the longitudinal beams 

